Agrunac Ilzeglan
' ' is a Dwemer Crusader that serves the Dwemer Freehold as a spy. In 1E 139 he was sent undercover into Atmoran occupied Skyrim under the fake identity: '''Stinralg Berkenl', a mercenary from Solstheim that became a housecarl to Jarl Harald Word-Bringer. History Backstory Agrunac was born and raised in Kagrenzel. He trained as a crusader, learning combat skills and restoration magic. In his adulthood he entered the service of King Tzovnak of Kagrenzel. He spent years as one of the king's men until he was assigned to an important secret mission. For this mission he was given a fake identity: Stingralg Berkenl, an Atmoran mercenary from Solstheim. He went into humans lands and has been trying to integrate himself into their society to complete his mission from the King. Stinralg's Backstory Stinralg came from a lesser clan of Solstheim, Clan Berkenl, descendants of Ahzidal the Embittered Destroyer who was a member of the Dragon Cult and a hero during the Return. He became a mercenary in his early adulthood and fought many trolls, elves and rieklings on Solstheim and mainland Skyrim. Ballad of the High King The Dragon Jermulgraag Agrunac was travelling through Skyrim when he heard the rumors of the dragon spotted near Yorgrim. He headed for the town right away, sure that helping to kill the dragon would help him accomplish his mission by earning him fame. He found an inn near the town square and headed inside to get more information on the dragon. The innkeeper was annoyed with him and refused to give him any leads. Agrunac was forced to go search for the bounty board at the town square. There he found the bounty on the dragon posted in the name of Thane Harald Word-Bringer. He followed the instructions on the bounty and headed to the Chieftain's longhouse. The guards barred his entry until he explained himself, but told him that he was too late to meet with the thane. He had departed from Yorgrim the previous day with a group of hunters. He asked them for some information and they pointed him to a local farmer that spotted the dragon to the south. He thanked them then headed to the farm. The farmer, Hrefna, welcomed him at weapon point. He questioned her and, a short misunderstanding, eventually got her to tell him about the clearing where her brother-in-law had seen the dragon. He thanked her and went off into the forest in search of the clearing. He felt someone's presence in the clearing and checked to see if they were Dwemer, they were not. He was then shot at from the trees and was then accosted by an Atmoran warrior. There were three others and they quickly captured him, though he gave them no reason to attack. They questioned Agrunac, but he only told them his fake backstory. They seemed to believe his story and the warrior ordered the scouts to stand down. He decided to draft the Dwemer into their quest to kill the dragon and took him to the temple. On the way there he learned that the warrior was Thane Harald's housecarl, Skorm Snow-Strider. When the duo arrived they didn't find the rest of the group, but the temple door was opened. They followed it inside to the entrance hall and took the left corridor from there. It led them into the Stormhawks, a group of hunters that the thane's party ran into in the forest, just as they had set off a poisonous gas trap in a large chamber. Skorm and Agrunac ran up the stairs to a balcony to avoid the gas. The Stormhawk mage explained the situation and they decided to search around for a way to stop the gas. Skorm went to open a door, but was blasted to the floor below by a draugr's thu'um. Half a dozen draugr attacked the group. The Stormhawks fought off the draugr. Skorm told them that the room with the draugr lord had a chain that might shut off the trap. They began trying to make their way to the room to shut off the gas trap. They fought with near perfect unison, as they were used to each other's fighting styles. They killed the undead warriors and Reeth, the mage, pulled the chain. The gas stopped, but what was already there remained. They walked through the gas. Despite his size, Agrunac managed to keep from breething in the poison. A wave of fresh air sent the gas away as they found themselves in a secret crater in the middle of the mountain. They spotted the dragon there, standing on a ledge above and altar, with the other humans at that same altar. Hefndir Sturmhaukr, the Stormhawk leader, approached the dragon and spoke to it in Dovahzul, much to the dragon's surprise. The dragon was angered by the Stormhawk and shouted, creating a storm over the crater. The thane told them all to scatter to evade the storm that shot down lightning at them. Hefndir shouted as well, creating his own storm that boosted the dragon's own. Hef's shout hurt the humans more than the dragon, angering Harald. The mortals rushed into cover, trying to avoid the storms. Agrunac remained behind cover, letting the humans take the risk. Reeth used Lightning Shield to protect himself from the storms, however, the shield wasn't enough and he was seriously injured. Since he was nearby, Agrunac healed the mage. The mage began to distract the dragon for the tongues to be able to catch him off-guard. Tiskr Rjaakasig, the Stormhawk Tongue, used Dragonrend on the dragon, sending him to the ground. A female cultist came out of hiding and attacked the group, trying to protect the dragon. Agrunac and the Cyrodiilic, Kane Styrson, fought her off. Kane and the cultist exchanged blows, both of them experienced swordsmen. He stalled the cultist until Agrunac arrived to help. The two of them teamed up against her, but the cultist was still managing to defend herself from their attacks. Hefndir also joined in the fight. The cultist was unable to defend against all three of them at once with swordsmanship alone so she shouted and slowed down time. Agrunac activated his Deeper Thought to be able to perceive time regularly. The humans weren't so lucky, she quickly dispatched them and nearly took off Hefndir's head, but only removing his helmet. The Stormhawk panicked after his helmet was removed and stopped fighting her to cover his face. Kane stepped in to defend Hefndir against the cultist as she tried to finish him off, while Agrunac held his own. She easily dodged his attacks with her superior reflexes, but he had stalled her enough that she was back to regular time. She returned to her defensive stance now, but it was pointless as Agrunac saw that the dragon was finally killed by Harald stabbing it through the heart. The cultist continued to try to fight them off for a few moments, but with the dragon dead the others joined the fight against her and she was soon surrounded. The female cultist surrendered. As they tried to restrain her, however, she attacked them and made a run for it. She shouted and slowed down time again. By the time the effect was over, she was long gone. The hunters celebrated their victory over the dragon. Agrunac knelt in front of Harald and asked to be taken into his service, seeing Harald as the perfect nobleman to manipulate in order to achieve his mission. The thane agreed, as the man had proved himself capable enough to keep the cultist at bay. Skorm then convinced Harald to take a trophy of their kill back with them, so they lopped off the dragon's head and then had the scouts bring it back into town on the sled. The group arrived in Yorgrim the next day. Harald rode in the front on his horse. Skorm had the second horse, leading the sled carrying the dragon Jermulgraag's severed head. As soon as the first townspeople saw the dragon skull, word spread across all of Yorgrim. The people gathered around the group, their mouths agasp at the sight of the dragon's head. When they made it to the town square, Harald gave a short speech that caused the people to cheer his name and applaud the heroes. Chief Jænis arrived in the town square and called for a feast in their honor. The chieftain's announcement made the people cheer louder. That day Yorgrim was enthralled in a festival that lasted well into the night. Not even the cold could stop the Atmorans from celebrating. Agrunac kept to himself for the most part, but celebrated along with the humans to fit in. Death of Jarl Sigurðr The day after the celebration, Harald Word-Bringer ordered his longship at the Yorgrim docks to get ready for the trip back to Vindhelm. Skorm Snow-Strider and Agrunac moved the dragon skull aboard while he oversaw the scouts loading up the supplies. There were peasants around the docks. They were gathering around to see Harald and look at the skull with awe. Local bards were already starting to make crude songs about the great battle with Jermulgraag. Kane Styrson came to the ship as it was getting ready to leave the pier. The Cyrodiilic asked for a ride back to the city and the thane accepted. Once the supplies and the skull were in place, the ship pushed off the pier and began heading west to the city of Vindhelm. On the way, they talked and Kane asked if he could enter into Harald's service as Agrunac had. Since the man had proved his fighting skill on the dragon hunt, the thane decided to take him into his service. When they arrived Harald gathered up the people at the docks to tell them of his victorious quest against the dragon. The citizens cheered on as he played up the scene. With the crowd having slowed them down, the thane's group took almost an hour to make it to the palace. He had the guards bring his leftover supplies and the skull into the palace, while he remained behind and greeted his brother Olaf, who had arrived at the city from his temple. The two argued and Skorm decided to leave them be, leading Kane and Agrunac away to get themselves acquainted with the palace. Skorm led them to the palace steward, Holma. She welcomed Skorm back and asked how the quest went. The housecarl explained the situation then told her about Kane and Agrunac. She told him that his family had arrived from Morvunskar and Skorm left the two of them with her. She told Agrunac to paint his armor to the colors of Østmark now that he would be serving Harald. She told them to always act with honor since their actions reflected on Harald from now on. They officially introduced themselves to the steward and she signed their names to her logbooks, then led them to their new quarters in the servant's wing of the palace. That night Harald ate with his men. Once it was over he called Kane and Agrunac to the throne room for them to perform their proper oaths to him. They did things according to tradition, with each man kneeling before him and swearing upon his sword. Agrunac had studied the human traditions in order to better fit in as a spy. He knelt before Harald and swore to never abandon battle and to fight for Harald always. Satisfied with the man's oath, Harald gave him an arm-ring to signify his position as his housecarl. Kane followed Agrunac's lead and knelt. He swore to fight for him as long as he lives and to avenge Harald should he die before him. Harald was pleased and gave him an arm-ring as well. He beckoned the two men to stand as his new housecarls. Agrunac lived in the palace and began to fit the role of a housecarl and make the locals warm up to him. A strict training regiment and shows of force gained him the admiration of the city guards. This respect would go a long ways to getting the thane's ear. His Dwemer superiors checked on him and he reported how his mission was going so far. All was going according to the king's plan. It was about a week after Harald's return to Vindhelm that tragedy finally struck. Jarl Sigurðr subcome to his illness. He went to sleep one night and never woke up again. News of the death were already spreading through the palace, leaving the servants to mourn for their beloved Jarl. The Lawspeaker sent out criers to inform the city of the Jarl's passing. Later in the day the citizens gathered at the Palace Plaza. The city had taken the death of the Jarl with a heavy heart. Harald addressed them and told the people that he would hold a week-long festival in honor of his father until his funeral. That cheered up the people. Agrunac pretended to celebrate during the festival and tried to improve his friendship with the guards and Harald's men. He also participated in the brawls at the Fighting Pit to earn himself a reputation in the city. Fame would bring him closer to the now Jarl Harald. His pugilism earned him a great renown and respect from the local Atmorans during the festival. His smaller stature also helped in earning himself a reputation of being unbeatable as the larger Atmorans frequently underestimated him. King Tzovnak's Plot During one of his fights his superiors contacted him through the Calling, the telepathic ability of the Dwemer, but that didn't stop him from winning. He reported to them how his progress with his mission to get the Jarl's ear was going. Satisfied with his progress they informed him that they were already conducting the next part of the King's plot. A group of Dwemer disguised as Falmer would be raiding the lands in the south of Skyrim, close to the border with Mereth, to increase tension between the Atmorans and the pale mer. With the funeral approaching and the arrival of Harald Word-Bringer's vassals to his court, Agrunac was sure that they would bring up the issue. That assumption proved to be true, as shortly before the actual funeral took place Lady Jóðdís of the village of Bjargveltask arrived in the city and told the Jarl of the attacks on her southern lands. The Atmorans had not yet discovered the source of the attacks and the Jarl decided to send some men under Skorm Snow-Strider to investigate the raids. Agrunac was the first to volunteer for the mission, trying to win the Jarl's approval with his initiative. Harald approved of this and decided to send Kane Styrson on the mission as well. They were only to return with proof of the identity of the aggressors. They travelled to the lands under attack and searched around for clues. What they found were only burned down hamlets and farmsteads and no sign of the attackers. They rode towards Áfastr's Hamlet. It was a farming settlement about a week's ride from Bjarveltask. The farmer had recently sent his tribute to the village so the housecarls suspected that he was still alive. They rode around the curve of the road and got their first glimpse of the farm in the distance from in between the trees. The group heard a terrible cry echo over the area, followed by a scream and yelling. Skorm rushed towards the farmstead, with Kane and Agrunac going after him. As he approached the farmstead, Agrunac was contacted by his superiors with the Calling. They had planned for the Jarl's housecarls to finally discover the fake Falmer soldiers attacking the Atmoran lands. The superior told Agrunac the details of the plan and he began to help them enact it. Skorm and encountered the fake Falmer and a fight broke out. Agrunac was the first to follow Skorm into battle, with Kane drawing his sword and snapping the reigns of his mount seconds later. The Dwemer hindered the other housecarls during the fight the best he could without breaking his cover. He stopped the Atmorans from killing and of his fellow Dwemer until they were ready with their ploy. That ploy came when Kane fought against the Falmer mage and killed him, though in fact the fake Falmer was still alive. While the Atmorans were distracted the Dwemer replaced the mage's body with a real dead Falmer. When the switch was done, the other fake Falmer retreated. Skorm ordered them to remain at the farm in case the Falmer returned, while Agrunac healed the civilians and the wounded housecarls. After confirming that the enemy weren't returning the housecarls escorted the farmer and his family to the village before heading back to Vindhelm with the body of the dead Falmer mage as proof of the attackers' identities. In Vindhelm they presented Jarl Harald with the body and told him of what transpired. Harald was enraged by the news and Agrunac fueled his rage by spouting his theories that the Falmer thought Harald weak and that is why they were attacking now. The Dwemer suggested that the Jarl answer these transgressions with overwhelming force as per King Tzovnak's plot. He managed to convince Harald to declare war against the Falmer after pressuring him on his duties as Ysgramor's kin. After war was declared, Agrunac reported to his superiors. Their plot had been successful. Jarl Harald began to prepare for the coming war, gathering his soldiers and sending out calls to arms to all corners of Skyrim. Agrunac, meanwhile, was keeping his superiors informed on all the details of the Atmorans' war plans. Personality Agrunac is highly devoted to his king and subsequently to any mission given to him by his liege. He wants nothing more than to be recognized by his superiors for his strength and loyalty. Statistics *Attributes: Strength and Speed *Major Skills: Master: Athletics; Expert: One-Handed(Blades), Hand-to-Hand, Block(Parry); Adept: Restoration(Heal), Heavy Armor. *Minor Skills: Speechcraft, Sneak, Lockpicking *Spells: Close Wounds, Greater Ward, Heal Other, Poison Rune, *Powers: The Calling, Deeper Thought (Active: For 60 seconds, he perceived time as slowed, as a result of his mind working faster, this allows him to observe a situation in a great deal and overcome it quickly.), Suppressor’s Pummel (Passive: Melee attacks absorbs stamina equal to 10% of the damage dealt, doubled against elves.) *Equipment: Steel armor crafted like that of Dwarven armor, but ornaments and engravings are removed and replaced with a rough copy of the Atmoran Confederation Symbol on his front and back and Solstheim hold symbol on the shoulders. Abuser Gauntlets (Spiked, crits knock over and drain 20% of remaining stamina), a steel sword and a magic ring (the ring uses Illusion magic to disguise his elven features for more rounded human facial features.) Trivia *The magic that Agrunac uses to assume the identity of an Atmoran is inspired by the way Battlemage Jagar Tharn assumes the identity of Emperor Uriel Septim during the events of TES I: Arena. Category:Characters Category:Males Category:Dwemer Category:Crusaders Category:Spies